The Right Side
by nightshoes
Summary: Lily and James muse about their future as they sit by the lake on their last day ever at Hogwarts, followed by the graduation ceremony and then a little more musing on James's part to conclude. Oneshot. Sound good? R&Rs would be cool!


_A/N: Felt like writing some L/J, and decided on their last day at Hogwarts. Not sure if the graduation ceremony would actually be like that but I had to incorporate some magic with the phoenix and everything. I quite like writing L/J - maybe I'll do their wedding! Disclaimers apply. R&Rs greatly appreciated! Thanks - nightshoes x_

* * *

**The Right Side**

'D'you know what? I've always _hated _lilies.'

'Oh, charming.'

'No, it's true! Sirius once _covered _my bed with them as a practical joke in first year. I've never had such bad hay fever. The bloody pollen took ages to shift.'

'I hope you got him back.'

'That's an understatement – he got months worth of detentions because I hexed his school books to make them shout swear words in class.'

'That was _you_? I thought he was just trying to act clever!'

Summer. 27th June 1978. James Potter and Lily Evans' last day at Hogwarts.

They were slouched beneath the shade of a large birch tree, overlooking the vast glimmering surface of the Black Lake. It was the hottest day of the year so far, and even their thin shorts and t-shirts were not suitable to keep them cool enough in the impenetrable heat. It blazed down upon them in hazy waves, making them both blissfully idle.

'Scary thought, isn't it, that we're not going to come back?' James said wonderingly, gazing out at the sparkling expanse of water beyond him and resisting the temptation to jump in.

'Yeah. I still don't know what I want to do for the rest of my life.'

'Are you joking? You could be anything. You've got the brains.' James laughed at the irony; a few years ago it would have been an insult whereas now he intended it to be more of a compliment. Funny, how things changed.

'Well, what about you? What does the _famous_ James Potter want to do after Hogwarts?'

'Me?' asked James, stretching his arms and placing them behind his head. 'I don't know. That's the fun part, I reckon...just _not knowing. _I definitely want to do a bit of travelling. I'd like to see the world. What's that Muggle saying? The world's my clam, or – '

'It's oyster, you idiot!'

'Okay, yeah, the world's my oyster. I really want to go to Japan. You know they've got some amazing creatures there? And Japanese wizards are supposed to be really good at alchemy, too.'

'So that's it? You're just going to...take off?' Lily asked, though she couldn't keep a note of disappointment from her voice.

'Well...no,' James said carefully. 'You know I want to stay with you. I'm serious about us. I told you.'

They had discussed it the week before, when both of them had realised that they weren't children any more, and agreed on what they wanted from their relationship. They both knew they wanted to be with the other after they had left school, no matter what happened.

'So, if you won't be off halfway across the world, what _will_ you be doing?' Lily said curiously.

'I don't know, I'm a man of many talents,' James joked, chuckling. 'I could do a Dad and join the Ministry, even though they're pretty set to collapse under You-Know-Who soon and they _would_ be employing someone who's an illegal Animagus.'

'That'll look good on your CV,' Lily said, more to herself than James as she doubted he would know what a CV was.

'But hey – we both know Puddlemere United would sign me any time.' James winked at her.

'Looks like you've got a lot of options there,' Lily mused.

'Yeah,' James said vaguely, giving her a sidelong glance – did he dare say it?

Oh, well. He'd been trying for seven years to get Lily Evans to go out with him – things could only get better.

'Listen – Lily. I need to tell you something.'

Lily's face drooped from a happy smile to a serious glare. 'Is something wrong?' she asked sharply.

'No, nothing's wrong. Everything's right, actually. Since I've been going out with you I can't believe how happy I've been. And I want to stay this happy, forever. You and me. I really am serious about staying with you, Lily. As serious as it gets. I just want to be by your side, no matter what. So – it doesn't have to be soon, but – I just want to know – would you marry me?'

Lily looked at him for a long time, her face frozen in shock while James waited in agony for an answer. 'Are you – _proposing_?' she eventually stammered.

'Well, no, I'm just asking whether you would ever want to at some point. Because I really, really want to marry you.'

'I've never heard you speak about your feelings so much in one day! Are you just saying it because it's the last day and you're worried I'm going to break up with you or something?'

'No! I've been feeling like this for a while, actually,' James argued.

'Well, then, James Potter,' Lily said, beaming, 'I never thought I'd say this, but of _course_ I want to marry you.'

**OoO**

At two o'clock, the entirety of the seventh year stood in the Hall. The House tables were gone, and instead the four House banners were hung at the high windows. All of the students wore gowns of black with long silk scarves appropriate to their House colour. James and Lily stood side by side, their hands entwined and masked by the long, draped sleeves of their gowns. Professor Dumbledore, who was wearing a splendid purple set of robes, stood at the front of the Hall beside a grand golden statue of a phoenix, its beak thrust towards the ceiling. The four Heads of Houses stood behind him.

'The end of another year,' said Dumbledore solemnly. 'Only for all of you, the end of this year is a special one. It is the last time you will be at Hogwarts – studying for your magical education, at least.

'Seven years. I am sure many of you remember entering this Hall for the first time, pondering what magical wonders were set in store for you – I, for one, certainly remember thinking this upon my arrival at Hogwarts when I was eleven years old. You may or may not have been unable to contain yourselves at the prospect of a full seven years of magic to enjoy. And now those seven years are over, and here you are.' His bright blue eyes twinkled around at them all.

'Each and every one of you should be proud of the achievements you have made, whether academic or not. You have made lifelong friends here, and, I trust, made many memories. And now it is time to venture onwards! An exciting thought. I know all of you will go on to great things...how could you not, with your education here!' Dumbledore chuckled fondly. Professor Slughorn smiled, his great walrus moustache ruffling.

'But I regret to say that my speech is punctuated with a fact we cannot ignore. Times are growing ever darker and I urge you not to succumb to these dark forces which threaten our world. The message I give you, perhaps more important than anything I have said this afternoon, is to stay strong. Keep each other safe. Never lose faith. Never allow yourself to wander astray. Never stop fighting for the right side. It is my firm belief, which continues to this day and has never stopped since each of you stood with the Sorting Hat over your heads seven years ago, that everyone has a true, pure portion of goodness and hope and light inside of them. I ask you to choose _this_ side.'

Lily's head was bowed. James squeezed her hand to remind her of the things he'd said by the lake. Lily looked up and smiled at him.

'Whether you return in a year, or five, or twenty, I hope Hogwarts Castle is a place all of you can call home. Congratulations, everyone. Would you be so kind as to follow the Head Boy and Girl down to the boathouse after the Phoenix Graduation ceremony.'

Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it at the phoenix statue. A trail of golden light burst from it and spiralled around the statue, and instantly, the phoenix craned its neck around the Hall and swept from its plinth. Heads swivelled skyward as the magnificent golden bird circled the perimeter of the Great Hall, leaving a thick cloud of golden stars and sparkling dust trailing from its tail-feathers. As the dust cleared, the hundreds of seventh-year students took off their pointed black caps and tossed them into the air – the Hall was thick with black hats which suddenly burst into silver sparks with a loud bang – an eruption of cheering and applause, and then the doors of the Great Hall opened and the students spilled out into the Entrance Hall and filed out of the castle.

James and Lily hurried to the front of the crowd, shepherding the rest of their year across the smoothly sloping lawns and down to the boathouse. Sirius, Remus and Peter clapped James on the back and lead a Mexican wave of celebration by shooting red ribbons into the air with their wands.

There was a great rush as huddles of seventh-years clambered into the dozens of boats made ready for them by Hagrid, the large yet kindly gamekeeper. James, Lily, Sirius and Remus squeezed into one of them, leaving Peter and Lily's friend Mary to grab another.

'They seem a lot smaller since we last rode in them, don't they, Prongs?' Sirius laughed, his knees squashed almost to his chin.

'Wait, wait – I can do an Engorgement Charm – ' James began, but Hagrid, who had one boat to himself, overheard and cut him short.

'No, James! These've got special spells on 'em, see – yeh can' use any magic on 'em, even if yeh have jus' graduated! Congratulations, by t'way!'

'Thanks, Hagrid!' James shouted back.

James looked at Lily, who had her hand entwined in his. As he looked around at them all – his best friends, the people he loved and would do anything for – he truly felt that whatever happened, no matter what obstacles came their way, he could trust them that they would all get through it. Together. Because he knew that what Dumbledore had said was true...they couldn't stop fighting for the right side.


End file.
